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October 26, 2016 — Family Caregiver Alliance Executive Director Kathleen Kelly, MPA, has been named a Next Avenue2016 Influencer in Aging for guiding policy on caregiving. Through news, information, and advice, Next Avenue’s mission is “to meet the needs and unleash the potential of older Americans through the power of media.” The 50 honorees — advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, writers, and experts — are represented in each of the following categories covered by Next Avenue: Caregiving, Living & Learning, Work & Purpose, Money & Security, and Health & Well-Being.

Through Kelly’s more than 25 years of leadership at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA), the organization has provided vital education, services, and advocacy for family caregivers, including an online listing with information on services and benefits in their particular state. FCA also manages an innovative program in Alzheimer’s caregiving — through an ongoing grant from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation — by managing an annual competition among nonprofits for the best programs in creative expression, diverse/multicultural communities, and policy and advocacy. Kelly also heads the organization’s research arm, the National Center on Caregiving. And she has actively promoted the use of technology in care settings to help make the lives of caregivers easier.

The Advisory Panel asked the following question to each candidate: If you could change one thing about aging in America, what would it be? Kelly’s response: “As a society, we need to value caregivers and recognize that caregiving will affect everyone at some point in their life. But we also have to acknowledge that caregiving is much more complex than in the past and as such, we need to enact policies across our health and social service systems that both include and support families to maintain their physical, emotional and financial health.”